Legion lays brick for fallen comrade

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – American Legion Post 201, located on Wills Road in Alpharetta, serves as a memorial for more than 8,000 war veterans who call Georgia home. It is a tribute to the men and women who have served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. Family and friends of war veterans can pay their respects by visiting the walkway that consists of more than a thousand inscribed bricks. The current commander of this post is Marty Farrell.

Recently, the McNulty family name became an addition to the walkway.

Growing up in a military family, Cyle McNulty remembers moving all the time. After living in various states in the United States and even spending some time in Germany, the McNultys finally spent time in somewhat of a “permanent” location, North Carolina, where Cyle finished his high school and college careers (2002-2011).

He lost his father, Special Forces Sgt. Michael McNulty to a bullet on Jun. 17, 2005 in Iraq. On Sept. 6, 2013, Cyle finally had the opportunity to pay tribute to his late father by adding a brick alongside the thousands of men and women who have lost their lives fighting for our country.

“I just remember a man in a military uniform standing outside my room waiting for me to wake up to tell me my family was waiting in the living room for me,” Cyle said, “I knew whenever a guy dressed in a uniform shows up at your front door, it can’t be good.”

Being the oldest male in his family with an unemployed mother at the time, Cyle had to learn how to cope with his father’s death while taking on the responsibility of filling in his father’s shoes.

“It was unreal to me; no kid growing up expects this,” he said. “Whenever I talked to my dad or whenever he came to visit, he was always happy and full of life. I never got the impression that he was exposed to such violence daily.”